Air combat. Ways to make things better.

[Jemar]

Hello, friends!

I have several Ideas on Air combat (besides in-flight assault which I described in another thread).

IDEA 1. What is the reason for new cannons? While we can simply chose warheads for no cost, the wide range of anti aircraft cannons costs much time and money. Ways to solve it (and make sense of using different cannons).

a. Specify which cannon is better for use against which ufo. For example laser cannon can scratch smallers better while plasmas - for biggest. or something like that.

b. Make COMBAT simulator. So a player any time can make a virtual duel with uUFO wings and make choice which cannon to build. That will be almost like ordinary combat... while a player can not test weapons on UFOs that he never shot down! So there will be reason to get knowledge of all crafts.

c. Weapon effectiveness. So after shooting down for example 10 cruisers the player gets new technology (even with no picture) as Calibration of weaponry for shooting down Cruiser. You know, after that the UFOs get less chance to be victorious. Good prize! PLAYER MAY EVEN CHOSE TO LOOSE SOME FIGHTERS BUT SHUT DOWN HARD TARGET. The bloody but priceless experience.

IDEA 2. After all we know the enemy. It is tough, but... We know!

The idea of countermeasures. In addition to evasive maneuvers Foxtrots and other craft may use them (drop the foil, or IR-decoys etc.). These measures were known even in World War 2. Of course the technology may become available not so easy. And may be different branches. For different classes of UFOs - separate research projects. They also may become available after several combat results, not at once.

This may cause air combat menu remake, but could make much sense. What do you think?

[Gazz]

c. You are supposed to upgrade your technology, not hold on until the game switches to easy mode.

[Jemar]

Thank you for response! I think the weapon effectiveness may be a result of dozens of hard missions. Not switching to easy mode. The prototype of weapon designed once and built once may for sure lead to scientific ideas how to make it better. Not to give up the technology and research new one. Just developing. Like Laser frequency against special type of armor. Just to make air combat bit easier in later stages of the game.

[Gauddlike]

I hadn't really noticed the disconnect between having to build expensive aircraft cannon and getting missile weapons free until you mentioned it.

Kind of bugs me now though

[GizmoGomez]

Perhaps new missiles should require a one-time manufacturing job, "Alenium Missile Fabrication" as a way to make a cost for new missiles. This manufacture would be a machine that converts older missiles into new ones, or something. I dunno, make something up.

[Hovis]

I can see why a cannon upgrade costs loads and missiles don't, because a cannon is a much more complicated component within an airframe, affecting weight, electronics, balance, all sorts of things. One does not simply replace a cannon. Missiles on the other hand, advanced or not, are just installed onto a hard-point and fired from it. The Alenium missiles are just powerful upgrades of the existing missiles so that would be no issue.

[Tsabotavoc]

Perhaps new missiles should require a one-time manufacturing job, "Alenium Missile Fabrication" as a way to make a cost for new missiles. This manufacture would be a machine that converts older missiles into new ones, or something. I dunno, make something up.

I think Air Warfare is already expensive enough

All in all I enjoy the Airfights - but sometimes its way to hard to get groundfights.

[WalrusJones]

I hadn't really noticed the disconnect between having to build expensive aircraft cannon and getting missile weapons free until you mentioned it.

Kind of bugs me now though

Or, we could divide missile tiers into cheap missiles (Infinite,) and expensive missiles (Money-bullets, so to say.)

Say, upon researching alien alloy fabrication, you can make armor piercing dart missiles out of alien alloys: It uses a few alloys, but inflicts damage a tier and a half higher then the free sidewinder missile.

The Alienium warheads having two variants: Depleted alienium warheads (Free, and a nod to depleted uranium ammo: Which uses uranium that actually is at 85% of its original potency, but is now simply too weak for the original purpose of the reactor grade uranium,) and alienium warheads (expensive.)

This would allow you do depthen air combat significantly, while still preventing unwinnable scenarios in the sky, and allowing players who fall behind the curve of technological progress try to catch up, at a steep cost of alloys and alienium.

We could even include an additional pair of missiles, for manufactured, non-rescource ammo that is 60% as good as the next tiers ammo (From an upgrade perspective.)

Say, Tungsten dart warheads for the sidewinders and avalanches, and DA-AC (Derivative of HE-AT anti-tank, "Depleted alienium, anti-covette" rounds,) rounds.

As a great way to spend raw manufacturing hours, and potentially something that could be sold at a profit (Albiet, a small negligible one.)

Edited June 22, 2013 by WalrusJones

[Gauddlike]

I can see why a cannon upgrade costs loads and missiles don't, because a cannon is a much more complicated component within an airframe, affecting weight, electronics, balance, all sorts of things. One does not simply replace a cannon. Missiles on the other hand, advanced or not, are just installed onto a hard-point and fired from it. The Alenium missiles are just powerful upgrades of the existing missiles so that would be no issue.

Those missiles still need to be produced or purchased though which, in general, has a cost attached to it.

It may not be the same cost up front as a cannon upgrade but over time would likely end up costing you more as each shot needs to be replaced.

There isn't a massive cost involved in the cannon anyway at the moment.

It is only the same cost as building an assault rifle of the same tier.

[WalrusJones]

This thread has given me some good ideas, nonetheless.

Most of which, in classic Walrus Jones fashion, vomited it in an overly excited text blob before returning to my own modding to go through the lengthy process of implement it, extending the time it takes until I am ready to release it.